Cliffords The Ethics of Belief and James The Will to Believe - Essay Example

Clifford could justify the truth that the car is blue because believes in the weight of authority. He understands that the car cannot be red and blue at the same time. According to the weight of authority, something cannot possess the qualities of both truth and false concurrently because a lot of knowledge exists to counter such an argument. Consequently, a car can only be blue and nothing else. It is supported by the law of excluded middle that affirms that an object can only possess two qualities namely truth or false. Clifford, thus, acknowledges that if the car is not blue, then it is not a car.

However, Clifford could also say God does not exist. According to constructivist theorists, truth is a construction of varying social processes that encompass overt questioning of modes of thought. As a result, it is upon Clifford to determine his knowledge of God through different perceptions that are always influenced by representations of physical and biological reality. The determination of objective truth on the veracity of God’s existence is, hence, deflected by the social construction of the individual compounded by the factors of false ideology, power, or knowledge.

James equally has the right to claim God exists and adduce enough evidence of proving his claim. This is because the validity of a claim rests on evidentialism, over-belief, and faith. In formulating his argument, James will assert that God exists because his conditioning is guided by social processes of strong faith. It differs from the conflict of Clifford’s view that God does not exist on the basis that their realities of knowledge differ (James 7). For example, while James’s reality is pegged on the distinct identity of a Supreme Being, his counterpart bears contradictions on the concept of God in the aspect of context.

I agree with James in regards ta o statement (A) that God exists and not Clifford because the concept of belief is what determines the lack of doubt. It supports the correspondence theory that links the state of affairs to the emphasis on true statements or true beliefs. James, therefore, equates God’s existence to the social reality that the universe conforms to certain external powers that are beyond an individual’s power. Alternatively, I agree with James because,e in the analysis of the first statement, one is permitted to engage his personal biases, community interaction,s or interpersonal power struggles that confirm God exists while limiting doubts. Read More